Three great warriors met on the field of battle and proclaimed
their allegiance. "To the end," they said, "And to
the end, again."

One warrior was creative and wise and he was known as Dreams.
One warrior was shrewd and industrious and he was called Numbers.
And the smallest of the warriors was known as Perplex. And they
were all courageous and adventurous and most of all they were
young. And all three cried out in one voice for the world to
hear, "To the end, and to the end, again."

So together they rode out into the future. And as they rode,
Perplex screamed out thoughts for Dreams to ponder. And Dreams
and Perplex would sit by the campfires and ponder the thoughts
and play with them and create with them. Because of Perplex's
thoughts, Dreams became a great philosopher. And Perplex would
scream out figures with many decimal points and a magnitude of
commas, and Numbers and Perplex would add them and tally them and
solve problems to which nobody had as yet put forth the
questions. Numbers became a great mathematician because of
Perplex's unique figures. And together the three warriors were
courageous and adventurous, and most of all they were young. And
together they cried out valiantly, "To the end, and to the
end again."

The three's adventures were many and their bond was drawn
tight. Side by side they rode into battle and side by side they
entertained many a fine young maiden, winning the hearts of each
and every one. And just as every young warrior is known to do,
they lost their own hearts a time or two. Wherever they went the
laughter was great, for everyone joined in. Because who could
tell what these three mighty warriors would do if in fact they
were displeased? So they drank everyone else's ale and they
gorged on others' kills. And as they rode Dreams pondered,
Numbers tallied and Perplex grew confused.

It was in the twilight of their youth that they came upon a
great desert which few men had ever crossed and fewer still had
crossed without growing old and dying soon after. On that morn as
they approached the great desert of which the other side could
not be seen, they stopped. Dreams assessed the great wasteland
and he said, "I know it can be crossed." Numbers wrote
down columns of figures and said, "The other side is
attainable." And Perplex looked at his two friends and said,
"I am afraid my horse will tire during the long
journey."

So together they toasted a toast, and together they cried
out, "To the end, and to the end, again." And together
they started off across the great desert. But before they had
ridden one day and one night a terrible storm ensued and caused
the sand to spring from the ground and into the air. The sand bit
at the three warriors' faces and scratched at their eyes and
choked the breathe from their lungs. Yet even as the winds
screamed "Terror," and the sky was torn open with bolts
of black lightening, still you could hear Dreams cry, "I
know we can make it." Just as loudly Numbers rang out,
"Figures don't lie." And Perplex's voice was muffled
with sand as he pleaded, "It's too far."

On the third day it happened. The storm had forced sand into
their faces for so long that they could no longer see each other.

"We must stay close by using the sounds of our
voices," yelled Dreams.

"I calculate it is not much farther." boasted
Numbers.

"I can't make it," wept Perplex.

"We can make it together, if together we stay,"
Dreams begged.

"I've come half way and I've only half way yet to
go." Numbers computed.

"I'm going back! " Perplex's voice trembled.

"Remember our dreams! " pleaded Dreams.
"Together to the end, and to the end, again!"

Eight more days passed and wind blew its final gust and sand
spit its last flakes. Dreams and Numbers pulled themselves up
onto the other side of the great desert and brushed themselves
off. "I made it," said Numbers, "And so did
you." "Not without great loss," replied Dreams.
Dreams gazed back into the great desert, then turned his head to
the paths that lay ahead. "To the end, and to the end,
again," he yelled with hoarse voice. "Sure," added
Numbers.

So the two rode into the village that lay on the path, side
by side but no longer together. And as they rode down the main
street of the village the citizens gathered on the sides of the
street and giggled with excitement, for it had been many years
since two great warriors such as these had ridden down their
streets. Together the townsfolk cheered and together they yelled
out, "To the end, to the end."

As seasons passed, Dreams took his sword and instead of
waging battle with it he used it to carve out magnificent
pictures in the dirt of the great adventures the warriors
experienced when they were three. And time passed too for
Numbers, who found he no longer needed his sword to fight
battles, so he melted it down into gold ingots and he added them
together and he multiplied them. All the townspeople gathered
around Dreams and they gathered around Numbers and they were
awed. And they whispered as they watched, "Where will it
end, where will it end?" Seasons passed, time went by and
everyone grew older. Dreams' thoughts grew deeper and Numbers'
ingots walled him in and neither one of them could remember what
it was that they had done so much yelling about in days past.

The day came when Dreams went to Numbers' huge golden wall
and he called over to him. "I have dreamt the most profound
thoughts one could possibly dream and I have shared them."

"Numbers?" came back a bewildered voice. "Oh,
yes, now I recall, the name by which I was known in the reckless
years of my youth," the voice laughed. "I am now called
the Great Enterprise. Now begone from my great wall, or I may
decide to divide you into two."

"What was it?" Dreams persisted. "What was it
we used to yell at the top of our young voices for the whole
world to hear?"

"'Invest' or 'Buy Bonds' or 'A Penny Saved is a Penny
Earned'," Enterprise called from behind the wall. "I'm
sure it was one of those. Take your pick."

"No, it was something that shook the earth. Something
that when other warriors heard it shouted they fell to their
knees and saluted us." Dreams thought long and hard.

"Wisdom creates as many doors as it opens, but with
enough wealth you can afford to buy other peoples' keys. Now that
is one everybody can live by." The Great Enterprise replied
confidently.

"It's coming back to me," Dreams said softly.
"I.....Yes........I remember." And with a voice not
nearly as strong as years ago and with one that had grown a
little strained with age, Dreams bellowed, "To the end, and
to the end, again." The golden walls shook with the ancient
vibrations that had been summoned.

"Hey, my mind and my tongue are delicate instruments and
you nearly rattled them out of my skull with that racket. I'll
ask you not to do that again," Enterprise seemed abnormally
shaken.

"We have erred, Numbers. In all my great thinking and in
all your great calculations we have erred."

"Erred?" The sound of papers shuffling. "
Impossible."

"We must go back for Perplex," said Dreams.
"We must go back and then together go on to the end."

"Oh, I couldn't. You've come at a really bad time, you
know. I've got year-to-dates to do, yearly reports to get out,
tax forms to figure and just a million things that are just too
important to be left."

"I will go alone if I must, Numbers." Dreams said.

"I won't be here when you get back, you know," said
Numbers.

"You're not now." replied Dreams.

And so with freshly polished sword and aged armor, Dreams set
out across the great desert to find his friend, Perplex. Dreams
crossed the great desert and rode into the mist of a time which
he had once known. But the trails were all grown over and most
everything that he had once remembered as being green with life
was now brown and wilted. But on he rode and on. Chance brought
him to a clearing where there were still a few vines reaching out
their emerald hue across barren earth. Climbing down from his
horse, Dreams heard ever so faintly someone speaking.

"Let it end. Let it all end."

Dreams unsheathed his sword and walked to the brush from
where the voice had uttered. There in a pile, with his hands over
his head, lay Perplex. Dreams tapped him on the shoulder with the
broadside of his sword. "Time to go, old buddy." Dreams
reached out his hand to help Perplex to his feet.

"Dreams! Oh, Dreams, I've forgotten the words. How do
they go?" Tears ran down Perplex's cheeks.

Dreams helped Perplex onto his horse and together they rode,
dreaming dreams and sharing adventures, again. And as they grew
old, it is said that they had to remind each other of the words
many times, but when they did, wherever they were the ground
would shake with the words, "To the end, and to the end,
again."

Now, this should be the end of the tales of Dreams, Numbers
and Perplex, but after all, the end is so very far away yet.